Surname meaning for "Bell"

Scottish and northern English: from Middle English belle
‘bell’, in various applications; most probably a metonymic
occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker, or a topographic
name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested by 14th-century
forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence
by an actual bell (e.g. a town’s bell in a bell tower, centrally
placed to summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of
the bell’, i.e. a house or inn sign (although surnames derived from
house and inn signs are rare in Scots and English).